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If you are like most time share owners, you've already discovered that your "great deal," according to an enthusiastic time share sales representative, wasn't so great after all. Maintenance fees, condo fees, mortgage payments and horrible resale values has made time share ownership for most people more of a headache than anything else.

It's no wonder that terms like "time share resale" and "sell time share" are the most frequently searched terms related to time shares on Yahoo.com. Just enter "timeshares" at inventory.overture.com and see for yourself.

These negatives do not change the fact that a luxury timeshare resort is a wonderful place to spend a vacation. I would choose a luxury resort over a luxury hotel any time.

The big players and developers in the time share industry have wised up, and are now spending more energy on lifetime discount travel packages.

Lifetime discount travel packages have been sold at many resorts over the last 20 years as a time share presentation exit product. That is, customers that refuse to yield to the high pressure time share sales team are offered a lifetime discount travel package instead.

These travel packages represent a much better deal, because users have the option of staying at a wider variety of luxury resorts without the high time share costs of maintenance fees, taxes, mortgage payments and RCI exchange fees.

In fact, there are no maintenance fees, taxes, exchange fees or mortgage payments with lifetime discount travel packages at all. Once you own a membership, you can simply book a luxury resort or hotel for as little as $298 per week. These are the same luxury resorts you would find on Expedia, Travelocity and Priceline for any where from $1,400 to $3,000 per week.

For example, one of the most popular and luxurious Florida time share properties is the Star Island Resort and Club in Kissimmee. Renting a week at this luxury resort would easily run upwards of $1,800.

However, membership in a discount travel plan can knock the price down to $300 or $700 for the same week. Don't let the low price fool you. These are luxury suites with no time share presentation requirements attached.

Do you see why lifetime discount travel packages are time share presentation exit products? These are literally the last thing a time share sales force would want you to know about. They are, in fact, the best kept secret in the time share industry.

It just makes good sense; Don't buy a time share; just buy a week or two at a luxury resort on an 'as needed' basis with a lifetime discount travel package. If you don't travel in a particular year, you pay nothing. Additionally, there are no black out weeks or RCI exchange fees involved.

If you own a time share, you are still responsible for maintenance fees, taxes and mortgage payments each and every year, including the years when you don't travel. That just doesn't seem fair.

When you do the math, the difference in ownership costs between a lifetime discount travel package and a time share purchase is staggering. So don't buy a time share! There is a better way.